That's Ed Sullivan (above), the TV variety show host who first introduced The Beatles to American TV. Um, well actually it's George T., a Sullivan impersonator. I couldn't find a good picture of Ed, so this'll have to do.
Anyway, I'm a big Ed Sullivan fan. Poor Ed was the world's stiffest man. It's as if he had rigor mortis while still alive. Amazingly, he was able to use that to his advantage...on him it actually looked good!
Sullivan was the king of awkward. He never knew what to do with his arms. He was always folding and unfolding them and, when he got tired of that, he'd pull on his face or stand with his hands on his waist like Superman.
How do you like the impersonation Jerry does here (above)? The coat hanger shoulders, the "really bigs," the hands-glued-to-the-side when he walks...it's all there. How do you like the way Jerry plugs the sponsor's products?
Here (above) Jackie Mason further refines the Sullivan walk. The film begins badly, so you might want to skip the first 10 seconds. The sound's bad too, but don't let that deter you from watching. This is a brilliant parody.
Okay, one more impersonation (above), this time by Paul Terry. Do you see how the jacket rides up when he puts his hands on his waist? That's because the arm holes are cut low, so all the shoulder padding is pushed up when he lifts his arms. My "Wrinkle Jacket" does that. I did a whole YouTube video about it.
9 comments:
Ah, good ol' Ed!
Thought I share this. This is a Famous Studio cartoon from 1962 that featured Smilin' Ed Solvent, who has a special way of coming out the way he does on the show.
Animation ain't great, but it has funny gags by Irv Spector, one of the most underrated storymen in theatrical-era animation (if only he was at another studio...)
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xk957m_cool-cat-blues_fun
Dear Uncle Eddie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg9O6e0fQ1I
Ed Solomon makes his appearance 5:57 minutes into this: "Garfield And Friends", "Stairway To Stardom". Mark Evanier wrote, Vincent Davis directed.
I can brag to the world that I storyboarded this episode and did the character design and layout. Vince liked what I did with the Ed Solomon stuff.
"The Ed Sullivan Show" would come on Sunday nights (right after "Lassie"). We watched on the big Zenith tv in glorious Black and White.
I still wish I could spin plates on sticks. Maybe it's not too late to learn.
Brubaker, Norman: Thanks for the cartoons! I wish they'd caricatured more of Sullivan's moves.
I was able to attend the recording session for this episode. John Byner, who appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show more times than anyone could count, did Ed's voice.
Has nothing to do with the Ed Sullivan post, but just as interesting.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/01/the-artist-show-people-silent-film.html
Came across it while reading The New Yorker (studying for a huge test this week and I had to read a lot of articles for it).
Whoa, Norman, that's John Byner? Sweet.
Cartoon fans will know him for voicing the Ant and the Aardvark (he did 90% of the voices in the series). I talked to him once on the phone and he said he had fun working on it. Said he liked Friz Freleng.
I wish he does more voices. He has a pretty wide range.
Fun post, Uncle Eddie! I like the Jackie Mason post - after all, this is the guy that got banned from the Ed Sullivan show because Sullivan thought that Mason was flipping him the bird on TV.
Roberto: Interesting article. Comedy was indeed too tied to reality in the talking pictures era.
Jennifer: What!!!???? I didn't know Mason was banned! Geez!
The impressionist who allegedly did Ed Sullivan first was Will Jordan. Jackie Mason borrowed heavily from Jordan to create his own impression. Chester Gould once posed with Ed on the show with a terrific drawing that he had done of Ed.
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